Page 38 - Volume 20

38 InCommand OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 • www.ohiofirechiefs.org
Dear Friends,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your help and continued support in the planning and execution of the annual conference. You well know the task is an arduous one, but with your assistance, we were able to present a conference we can all be proud of again this year.
To the conference committee, I especially thank you for all your hard work. You truly are a dedicated group of folks whom I’m proud to call my friends. I’m sure that sometimes when you saw it was me calling, you almost hated to pick up the phone for fear of what I might be calling to say! But together, and I do mean together, the conference went on without a hitch! It is good that we can work hard together and yet still somehow make it fun. Each of you are an important part of a well run machine, giving much effort to get things done. Thank you so much Retired Chief Scott Skeldon, Chief Matt Noble, Retired Chief Bill Houk, Retired Chief Clyde McKenzie, Retired Chief Tom Stewart, and Deputy Chief Scott Kujawa. You are my brothers, my friends, and my many “right arms”!
To the staff that runs our office so efficiently and Michelle, our excellent Executive Director, thank you so much both for the dedicated work prior to the conference and coordinating registration at the conference. Michelle was present at so many of the classes, meetings, and events. We are proud of our Executive Director who was there for us 100% of the time. Thank you so much Anne and Misha. You did an excellent job for your first conference working together. Once again, Melissa Noble did an amazing job on our conference publications. We appreciate all your hard work, Melissa, on the conference book and the buyer’s guide. Even last minute changes were taken care of promptly! You are amazing, again, thank you.
To our host committee, The Fire Chiefs’ Association of Central Ohio, thank you so much for your help with the parking lot, the vendors, and for just offering a helping hand. Your assistance was greatly appreciated. As always, you were so willing to offer whatever anything needed done, wherever. I sure appreciate you folks.
Thank you so much to all those who played a special part at this year’s conference including: Chaplin Ret. Chief Clifford
L. Mason, OFE; The Ohio Fire Fighters Pipes and Drums; The Whitehall Division of Fire Color Guards; Asst. Chief Jeremy Guenther, OFE for the beautiful singing of our National Anthem; and to Dr. Burt Clark, Ph.D, EFO for sharing in your key note address.
To all the friends and family of those who we remembered at our memorial service, we thank you for your attendance, and hope that we respectfully honored your loved ones in a manner pleasing to you.
To our Past President, Chief Jeff Klein OFE, OFC, incoming President, Chief Bill Houk, OFC, OFC, and our board of directors, I thank you for supporting the work of the committee and trusting us to bring quality events and classes to the table for discussion.
To the hospitality crew: Retired Chief Bernie Ingles, OFE and Retired Chief Dale Ingram, your time and effort that you gave so that our members could enjoy time together in the hospitality room did not go unnoticed. Nicely done! Thanks for being so hospitable!
A special thank you goes out to our sponsors, our vendor friends. Without your support, our conference would not be success- ful. Your offers of support are appreciated more than you will ever know! I simply cannot thank you enough.
A heartfelt thank you also goes out to our members who attended conference. I appreciate you taking advantage of our educa- tional opportunities and events. I hope if this was your first conference, you were made welcome, and found the experience to be more than you expected. Please tell your fellow OFCA friends about our conference and encourage them to attend next year!
To the staff at the Hilton Columbus at Easton, I can’t say enough good things about your efforts to make our stay comfortable and the hundreds of time you just checked to see if we might need anything. Thank you just doesn’t seem enough, but it is all I have, so THANK YOU sincerely! From the time we arrived until our departure, you made us feel at home, and we appreciated that so much. From the maintenance people to the hotel manager, every single person did an excellent job of making our stay a pleasant one!
If I have left anyone off this list, I apologize. Please know that I am truly grateful for all the help given before, during, and after the conference. I don’t take dedication and pride for granted; I appreciate everything everyone did to make our annual conference such a success.
Finally, I want to encourage members to contact me with any questions you may have, or suggestions you would like to offer. If you wonder why we do what we do, I would be happy to talk to you. Email me; call me! IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS, IDEAS, OR WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A SPECIAL SPEAKER...PLEASE, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL NEXT SPRING TO LET ME KNOW!! Plans need to be made well in advance. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.
Sincerely,
Chief Tom Wallace Conference Committee Chair